When you are thinking about Zoloft and pregnancy you should know that it is considered to be a category C medication in case of pregnancy. This means that it is possible for the drug to do harm to the baby. The chances for this to happen are the highest during the third trimester.
The categories and taking Zoloft while being pregnant
It is known that the FDA is using a category system to determine the risks for a given drug to cause harm to the fetus. In case a drug is considered to be of category C it means that there were no studies conducted regarding pregnant women, but in case of the animal studies it seems to do harm to the fetus.
In the same time when thinking about taking Zoloft while being pregnant you should also know that the same category is given to the drugs that haven’t been studied on pregnant animals or pregnant women.
If there were some studies performed we have to note that although the drug could harm the animal fetus, when it comes to Zoloft and pregnancy, it isn’t certain that it will harm the human fetus because animals and humans react in different ways to the drugs.
According to this, it is possible that you will be taking Zoloft while being pregnant according to the subscription of your doctor in case he or she thinks that it could have positive effects on you that overweight the risks that the little one could be put through.
Experience
In the past there have been some cases regarding Zoloft and pregnancy in which the baby suffered from complications because of the drug and after he or she got born needed hospitalization, tube feeding or respiratory support. There have been different symptoms experienced by these children.
In case you have been taking Zoloft while being pregnant, it is possible that your baby will be suffering from difficulties with breathing, low oxygen levels of the blood, seizures, tremors, difficulties with feeding, constant crying and irritability.
In the same time when thinking about Zoloft and pregnancy during the last trimester it is possible for the baby to be affected by persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, also known as PPHN. This condition is often connected to other kinds of complications and in some cases, it could turn out to be fatal.
In case of women who are taking Zoloft while being pregnant after the 20th week of pregnancy, it increases the risks by 6 times of having a baby affected by PPHN.
Conclusions
If you get pregnant or you are thinking about Zoloft and pregnancy you should make sure to tell your health care provider about this. He or she will consider both the advantages and the risks of the drug and in the end your doctor will make a recommendation. It is possible that you will have to reduce the amount of drug that you are taking.
In case you are taking Zoloft while being pregnant it is possible that your doctor will suggest you to give up taking the drug during the third trimester. This way it is possible to reduce the risks for the baby to suffer any kinds of complications because of the drug.
Nonetheless the best thing you could do regarding Zoloft and pregnancy is not to be taking the drug while you are expecting. This way you can be sure that the little one won’t be exposed to unnecessary risks, and most probably you will find some other alternatives for your problem. Most probably you will have to take a different kind of drug.
